With this on our minds, I was excited not only to see Obama in person, but really cared what he had to say about the reform currently being hacked away at by Congress. I don't remember Bush ever opening up such a forum to the general public and it made me feel this President really did care what I or any common person might think.
We both dressed up for the meeting. After all, its the leader of the free world! I work high heels and a skirt while Lorin wore a tie and dress pants. I felt confident and we were able to park "right around the corner" from the high school where the meeting was to take place. We were early and thought we'd be through security and in our seats in minutes. HA HA HA. As we round the corner, we where met with yellow caution tape and dump trucks blocking all streets and entrances around the school. Now a further treck of 3 blocks out and around to the correct entrance. As we neared the right doors, it began to rain. HARD. The instructions we received banned umbrellas from the meeting, so of course we didn't bring one (as if it were a big deal to lose it). We stood awaiting our security check, WHILE IT POURED, POURED, POURED! So much for my dressy outfit! That downpour wait changed this for event for me. What was sort of an adventurous lark became a hardcore quest. If I was going to stand in this rain, then sit, dripping dry like a drowned rat, Obama better have something good to say, damn it. It better be worth being soaked to the skin.
Like most of what I saw during Obama's campaign, the crowd was very mixed; old, young, wealthy, poor, middle class, black and white (did not see many hispanics, though). Everyone was very polite. I think we are all aware that many of us don't hang out together everyday and that this man was bringing us together. We wanted to be nice, maybe to prove that he was right about race not being such an issue. I guess we all can agree that health insurance is broken, can't we? As people surrendered their umbrellas, staffers quickly brought them to those of us without them, so all could have shelter until it was our turn to enter.
We found seats, then waited for 2:25 to come. As the gym filled up, the visiting political big wigs drifted in: Cleveland Mayor Jackson, Governor Strickland and some of his staff. I also noticed a political has-been, Mary Rose Okar sitting toward the back of the floor seats. Guess old politicos never die, they just don't get front row seats.
We knew things would get started soon when a staffer affixed the Presidental Seal to the podium. (with velcro, a magnet?) A female rabbi opened the meeting with prayer & a blessing, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. A retired Teamster (I know, typical Dem thing to do) who now isn't retired because he has to pay his health insurance premiums (not the typical sob story usually told; more just Everyman's story) introduced the President and at the stroke of 2:25 (he runs a tight ship, impressive) the President of the United States took the stage. After about a 20 minute speech, he opened the floor to questions. Seriously. He took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and just started pointed at people waving their hands. No plants, no scripting. I think about what a risk that is for a politician to take in a room of 2000 people. You don't know what crazys might be lurking.
Since I'm not super political and my only agenda in this post is to tell my story of what this experience was like for me, I'm not going to relay all Obama discussed or what questions were asked. I'll leave that for my ex-news reporter husband. Suffice it to say that he called on a variety of people ("girl, boy, girl, boy" was his only stipulation) and each had a different concern. I guess what I came away from this meeting with was a confidence that the President is on the right track, that this is something that needs to be solved now, not later. I remember when I started my first job after college and we met with the insurance agent to go over the company policy. The agent said he thought universal health care would be a reality in five years. That was 1988. While I don't want that type of plan, I do think we need to fix our broken system. I feel that Obama is "real"--not calculating exactly what to say to be politically correct. He is not perfect and I am not looking for that in my country's leader. He is just a man, trying to do an impossibly hard job.
If you ever get a chance to see Obama or any president at a public event, go. Even if it messes up your schedule. I really think if more people where connected in some way to their elected officials, they would feel less helpless when it comes to public policy.
